Sandal for modern dancing



April 8, 1941. s. CAPEZIO 2,237,652

SANDAL FOR MODERN DANCING Filed Sept. '26, 1938 INVENTOR diva Arama- CIPfZ/O W1 QM ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 8, 1941 UNETE STATES Farm" 7 Claims.

This invention relates to footwear, and more particularly to a toeless and heellcss sandal for semi-barefoot dancing. Modern dancing is performed barefoot. It involves not only steps and leaps, but also turns, and these are executed on different stage floors, some of which are quite rough. Abrasion and injury to the feet frequently result.

The primary object of the present invention is to generally improve dancing footwear, and a more particular object resides in the provision of a sandal to be used by barefoot dancers or for modern dancing. My improved sandal exposes the toes completely at the bottom as well as at the top, and preferably exposes a bit of the foot immediately in back of the toes. The heel is also exposed, and the sole is so short at the back that it does not interfere with free bending or arching of the foot, while the sole is short enough at the front to so fully expose the toes that they may be used by the dancer to grip the floor during the dance, yet it is long enough to protect the ball of the foot during the execution of turns.

With a sole of this length, it may tend to flap open at the bottom of the foot, with a consequent danger of tripping the dancer. A further object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty, which I do by the use of a strap extending between the toes of the foot from the sole to the skeletonized upper or straps which hold the sole 1 in place.

Still another object of the present invention is to so design the sandal that it may be ordered by size number, thus making it possible to order the same through the mails and without an actual try-on, Foot sizes are known and are reasonably well-standardized, but such sizes would not conform dependably when dealing with the pres ent semi-barefoot sandal because the length of the toes varies greatly with different persons in proportion to the length of the foot for any given size foot. In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, at least one of the straps securing the sole to the foot is provided with an elastic insert, thus making the sandal adaptable to a variation in foot size or toe length. At the same time, the elastic insert provides a firmer and more dependable grip by the sandal on the foot. The elastic insert may, if desired, be concealed within the loop of a center or T-strap forming a part of the sandal.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and other objects which hereinafter appear, my invention consists in the sandal elements and their relation one to the other, as hereinafter are more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specification is accompanied by a drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing a foot provided with a sandal embodying features of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken in elevation through the sandal;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the sandal;

Fig. 4a is explanatory of a detail;

Fig. 5 is explanatory of a detail in the construction of the sandal;

Fig. 6 illustrates the elastic insert localized within the loop of the center or Tstrap; and

Fig. 7 is explanatory of a modification in which an elastic insert is provided at the heel strap.

Referring to the drawing, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the sandal there illustrated comprises a sole l2 held against the bottom of the foot, and particularly at the ball of the foot i l, by means of a plurality of straps. From one vi wpoint, it may be said that the sole is held on the foot by an upper, but that this upper is greatly skeletonized In the specific example here illustrated, the sole is held on the foot by means of a heel strap l6 extending from the rear end it of the sole, an instep strap Ell extending forwardly about the instep of the foot, a cross-strap 22 extending across the foot about at the ball of the foot and which may therefore be referred to as a ball strap, and a connecting strap 24 commonly referred to as a center strap or T-strap. The T-strap is looped at 26 to receive the instep strap 20. In addition, the sandal includes another strap which is inconspicuous but most important, namely, the strap 28 which extends from the forward edge 31] of the sole upwardly between the toes to the ball strap 22. This strap may, for convenience, be referred to as a toe strap. It preferably extends between the first and second toes, there being a maximum space between these toes so that the strap is readily received without discomfort. Moreover, the strap is made of soft leather and readily folds between the toes, as is indicated in dotted lines at it in Fig. l, or in solid lines at 28 in Fig. la.

The dimension and location of the sole i2 is most important. It is short enough so that the forward edge Ell (Fig. 4) comes back of and exposes the toes, and preferably also a little of the fleshy part of the foot just back of the toes. In this way, the toes can grip the floor when the foot is tilted upwardly, as shown in Fig. 2. However, the forward edge 35) comes forward far enough so that the ball of the foot is covered, as is indicated at l4 in Fig. 1. Thus, when the dancer executes turns, the foot spins on the forward part of the sole and is protected against abrasion on rough floors. Moreover, the spin may be prolonged when using the sandal, compared to true barefoot dancing. The reason the toe strap 28 is important is in order to prevent the forward edge 30 of the sole from dropping or .turning downwardly during the dance. This possibility can be obviated by further shortening the sole, but that is not desirable because it affords less protection to the ball of the foot during turns. It may also be obviated by using a much thicker, heavier sole, but that is undesirable because it may blister the foot at the edge of the sole and because it makes it more diflicult for the toes to grip the floor, and finally because it would interfere with the desired flexibility and free arching of the foot which is necessary in modern dancing. In the present sandal, the outsole is made of a chrome split which is com.- paratively thin and flexible, although it is made thick enough to give it sufiicient stiffness to help hold the straps in place, or, in other words, to prevent any possibility of the sandal twisting about the foot.

The sole may, if desired, be localized at the ball of the foot. This, however, increases the dimculty of providing adequate attaching straps for holding the sole properly located at the ball of the foot. For this reason, the sole is carried rearwardly in the present sandal far enough to facilitate the attachment of the heel and instep straps i6 and 2B, but the sole is short enough to fully expose the heel of the foot. It is short enough not to interfere with free arching of the foot, and it terminates within the change in curvature of the foot, as shown in Fig. 1, so that there will be no abrasion or blistering at the rear 1 edge of the sole.

It is desirable to hold the sandal against possible movement longitudinally of the foot. The toe length for a given size of foot may vary, and

it is desirable that the toe strap 28 be held rearwardly snugly at the base of the toes. For this purpose, I prefer to use elastic inserts in one or more of the straps of the sandal. Specifically, the instep strap 29 is provided with an elastic insert 32, as is best shown in Fig. 6. This elastic insert may be concealed by locating the same within the loop 26 of the center strap 24. It will be evident that the contraction of elastic insert 32 tends to pull the sandal rearwardly on the foot,

If desired, the heel strap l6 may also be pro vided with an elastic insert, such as the insert 34 in Fig. '7. As here illustrated, the elastic bears against the heel of the foot and tends to draw the sandal rearwardly. It will be evident that two such elastic inserts may be provided, one at each side of the sandal, or the inserts 32 and 34 may both be used.

Coming now to a more detailed consideration of the construction of the specific sandal here illustrated, the cross-strap 22, the toe strap 28-, and the center strap 24 are all made of a single piece of leather. This is preferably a soft flexible leather such as kid or veal. The leather need not be lined, but if an exceedingly thin leather is used, it may be lined with a suitable lining of thin kid or like leather. The end of center strap 24 is skived and bent reversely and stitched to form the loop 26. The ends of ball strap 22 and toe strap 28 are skived to be received smoothly against the upper surface of the outsole l2. When, as in the present case, the ball strap 22 is substantial in width, the lower edges are preferably notched, as is indicated at 34 in Fig. 5. The notches 34 are closed up when securing the upper to the outsole, as'is indicated at 34' in Fig. 4, thus producing a curvature for the sides of the strap, as is indicated at 36. The idea of this is to bring the edges 38 snugly against the foot, and to prevent the same from gaping open loosely or visibly at the foot. A plurality of notches may be used, but only one is shown, for illustration The heel and instep straps l6 and 20 are preferably made in two halves or sides, these being joined by the elastic inserts 32 and 34 when two such inserts are used. When only one insert is used, the other connection may be made by skiving the overlapping ends, as is indicated at 40 in Fig. 4, the ends being cemented and stitched together. The lower end of the toe strap 28 is preferably flared out to substantial width at its bottom end, as indicated at 29. This better transmits turning force to the sole when spinning; it helps hold the sole close to the foot when arching and at all other times; and provides a stronger connection to the sole.

The attachment of the straps to the sole is preferably by means of stitching, as is indicated at 42 in Fig. 3. For this purpose, a line of stitching runs entirely about the sole, and the stitching runs through the ends of the straps. The sole may be grooved on the bottom to protectively house the lower loops of the stitches. It is convenient to preliminarily secure the straps in proper position on the sole by means of some tacky cement or adhesive, the resulting bond being adequate to hold the straps in position during the stitching operation.

An insole 44 is preferably added after the stitching operation. This insole is cemented in place and overlies the ends of the straps, thus presenting a smooth soft surface to the bottom of the foot. The insole may be added before the stitching operation, but by adding the same last, and relying solely upon the cement bond, the advantage is gained of covering and concealing the stitching as well as the end of the straps.

It is believed that the construction and method of use, as well as the many advantages of my improved sandal for modern or barefoot dancing, or, more accurately, for semi-barefoot dancing, will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description thereof. It will also be apparent that while I have shown and described my invention in a preferred form, many changes and modifications may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising a sole made of a relatively thick and relatively inflexible long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a relatively thin flexible skeletonized upper for extending from said sole about the foot in order to hold the sole on the foot, said sole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of said foot, said assembly of sole and upper being so short at the front as to expose the toes both at the top and at the bottom of the sandal. yet long enough at the front to protect the ball of the foot during the execution of turns by the dancer, said sole being of a width and configuration as to cover substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the floor at the ball region thereof.

2. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising a sole made of a relatively thick and relatively inflexible long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a relatively thin flexible slreletonized upper for extending from said sole about the foot in order to hold the sole on the foot, said sole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of said foot, said assembly of sole and upper being so short at the front as to expose the toes both at the top and at the bottom. of the sandal, yet long enough at the front to protect the ball of the foot during the execution of turns by the dancer, and said sole being so short at the back as to expose the heel of the foot, said sole being of a width and configuration as to cover substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the floor at the ball region thereof.

8. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising a sole made of a relatively thick and relatively inflexible long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a relatively thin flexible skeletonized upper for extending from said sole about the foot in order to hold the sole on the foot, said sole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of said foot, said sole and upper forming an assembly including a narrowed portion for extending between the toes of the foot, said sole being of a width and configuration and relationship to said narrowed portion as to cover at least substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the floor at the ball region thereof, said assembly of sole and upper being so short at the front as to expose the toes both at the top and at the bottom of the sandal.

4. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising a sole; made of a relatively thick and relatively inflexible long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a relatively thin flexible skeletonized upper for extending from said sole about the foot in order to hold the sole on the foot, said sole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of said foot, said sole and upper forming an assembly including a narrowed portion for extending between the toes of the foot, said sole being of a width and configuration and relationship to said narrowed portion as to cover at least substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the floor at the ball region thereof, at least a part of said upper being elastic for self-adjustment of size, said assembly of sole and upper being so short at the front as to expose the toes both at the top and at the bottom of the sandal.

5. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising a sole made of a relatively thick and relatively inflexible long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a relatively thin flexible skeletonized upper for extending from said sole about the foot in order to hold the sole on the foot, said sole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of said foot, said sole and upper forming an assembly including a narrowed portion for extending between the toes of the foot, said sole being of a width and configuration and relationship to said narrowed portion as to cover at least substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the floor at the ball region thereof and said sole being so short at the back as to expose the heel of the foot, at least a part of said upper being elastic for self-adjustment of size, said assembly of sole and upper being so short at the front as to expose the toes both at the top and at the bottom of the sandal.

6. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising an outsole made of long-wearing relatively thick and relatively inflexible sole material such as leather, and a skeletonized relatively thin flexible upper for extending from said outsole about the foot to hold the outsole on the foot, said outsole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of the foot, said outsole being so short at the front as to expose the toes, said upper including a narrow toe strap for extending from the forward edge of the outsole between the first and second toes, the lower end of the toe strap being widened or diverging at the forward edge of the sole, said sole being of a width and configuration and relationship to said toe strap as to cover substantially all the surface of the foot normally contacting the fioor at the ball region thereof.

7. A sandal for semi-barefoot dancing, said sandal comprising an outsole made of long-wearing sole material such as leather, and a skeletonized flexible upper for extending from said outsole about the foot to hold the outsole on the foot, said outsole being stiff enough compared to said upper to help locate itself properly in place beneath the bottom of the foot, said outsole being so short at the front as to expose the toes, and so short at the back as to expose the heel of the foot, said upper including a toe strap for extending from the forward edge of the outsole between the first and second toes, the bottom edges of the downwardly extending part of said upper being secured on the upper face of the'outsole, and an insole having a smooth upper face secured above the outsole and concealing and protecting the foot from the bottom edges of the upper,

SALVATORE CAPEZIO. 

